New facilities at the Concord Sports Centre, the first National Centre
for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) site in Sheffield were officially
opened by former Sports Minster Richard Caborn.
The facilities bring together clinical services, sport and exercise
specialists and health professionals to make it easier for physical
activity to become part of the treatment for a range of chronic health
conditions.
The ISEH was delighted to be invited and it was great to see the NCSEM take a further step in its evolution.
NCSEM Sheffield forms part of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM). The NCSEM is a major new Department of Health initiative to deliver education, research and clinical services from three hubs in London (ISEH), East Midlands and Sheffield.
The project at Concord has seen an unused changing block transformed into a centre that promotes physical activity as a treatment in the NHS. That new block houses seven clinical consulting rooms, education and training facilities, and a connection to the existing sports centre, to fluidly connect health with physical activity.
Vital to the scheme is the co-location of sport and exercise medicine specialists, health practitioners, researchers, clinicians and patients in an innovative hub – right in the heart of a community that needs it.
Sir Andrew Cash, chief executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Accountable Officer for the NCSEM Sheffield said:
“Changing the culture to make it easier for everyone to be active every day is a long journey. However, what we have developed here at Concord, and what is currently being created at the other NCSEM sites at Graves and Thorncliffe is a significant milestone in that long-term project and shows that we are serious about transforming Sheffield into the most active city in the UK. Using exercise as part of a patient’s recovery and rehabilitation as well as using it to prevent ill health has been proven to have significant benefits and Sheffield will be looking to take advantage of this through the new facilities officially opened here today.”
The centre at Concord is a joint project involving organisations including Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield City Trust (SCT).
Two more NCSEM sites are also currently under construction in Sheffield, at the new leisure centres at Graves and Thorncliffe, and are set to open in 2016.
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